


More Beautiful Than the Puzzle

by ponymom



Series: More Beautiful Than the Puzzle [5]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:08:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25693309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ponymom/pseuds/ponymom
Summary: Harry needs to find a mate in order to inherit his father's title and estate. But there are lots of interested suitors, with many only interested in the potential wealth and status that the Earl of Darlington comes with. Is there a worthy mate out there? Only Harry knows for certain.This story will be a challenge within a challenge, a story about a challenge inside of this Wordplay challenge.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Series: More Beautiful Than the Puzzle [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1865008
Comments: 16
Kudos: 45
Collections: Prompt 5.4: Board





	More Beautiful Than the Puzzle

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a Wordplay prompt challenge for the prompt "board". To read the amazing fics that were written by the others on this prompt, [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/board), and to see all fics written as part of the challenge (including years 1-3), [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/wordplay_fic_challenge/works). You can also find the masterpost for this year’s challenge [here](https://wordplayfics.tumblr.com/post/622306139518926848/wordplay-2020-every-week-for-five-weeks-a-prompt).

Part 5- Finale

The next morning, Harry wakes in the knowledge that the last two searchers are to be on the castle grounds. He wonders what will happen after that and if Louis has gotten on board with the idea of participating in the challenge and becoming Harry’s mate. First, the last of the seekers had to be dealt with. 

Harry wandered outside to the garden shortly after the two searchers entered. Harry recognized one of the two as a second son of a neighboring lord. Yet another person after the money and status of his title. So he heads for the tree where Louis has staked out his view. Except, Louis isn’t there today. For the very first time since the challenge was issued, Louis isn’t there to witness the antics of the searchers. Harry stops in confusion and tries to make sense of the situation. The searchers are here in the garden, and Louis is not. Harry doesn’t know what to make of it, so he heads back to the castle, tugging the buttons of his shirt open as he heads back inside.

Louis is at the same moment, sitting at home, staring into a cup of tea, thinking about his next move. Harry’s words were something of a surprise, a pleasant one but a surprise all the same. He had spoken with his mother about the conversation that he had with the viscount and asked her thoughts.

“Do you genuinely like him, love him even in the way that you would spend the rest of your life with him? That is the only thing that is important at this point.” she had sagely replied.

Louis considered his mother's words and offered another thought. “There is something else to consider. How will the townspeople view this? How will the Viscount’s friends and other nobility view this? They won’t make things easy for any outsider, especially one that isn’t one of them.” 

Louis thinks back upon Harry’s words yesterday. Harry really sounded as if he genuinely wanted Louis to not only take on the challenge, but to win it. Louis decides that this is worth whatever strife that comes with the position. Louis is deeply attached to Harry, and is going to make the best of this opportunity.

The next morning, Harry goes to find his father in his study. The last two searchers were just as successful as all the others prior. The cat had eluded all of the searchers and Harry now stood before his father, waiting to hear what happened next. 

“Have you spoken to the young man that you want to have as your mate?” the Earl asks his son.

“Yes, I all but told him that I wanted him to be my mate and that he needed to enter the challenge. But then he didn’t come round yesterday, as he normally would. I don’t know what to make of the situation, but I haven’t been able to speak with him since that conversation. I hope that he does something, but I don’t know what is going to happen.” Harry confesses.

Harry and his father sit in silence with their own thoughts, Harry on if Louis will act upon his words and his father on what to do with his eldest son and his future. At that moment, there is a knock up on the study door. The steward enters at the Earls’ command.

“There is someone wishing to take up the challenge at the entrance. What shall I do with them?” the steward inquires.

Harry shoots a glance at his father. Neither of them know if it is Louis, but are hopeful. 

“Allow them to take the challenge. Show them into the garden” the Earl instructs the steward.

Harry gets up from his seat and looks after the retreating steward. He then looks to his father. 

“I shall go and see who it is and check with you later.” Harry sighs and leaves the study, hoping against hope that it is Louis that is being escorted into the garden.

Meanwhile, the steward is showing the newest candidate into the garden.

“Do you know what the cat looks like?” the steward inquires.

“Yes, I was in the courtyard on the first day when the key was attached to the cat’s collar. I just didn’t know then that I wanted to take the challenge” is the response from the newcomer.

“Very well, you have the day to find the cat and bring it and the key back to me. Best of luck to you” the steward finishes and walks off, leaving the garden to the seeker.

Harry is walking down the hallway heading towards the garden and the new challenge seeker. He sees the steward heading his way.  
“Is the newest participant in the garden?” he asks of the steward.

“Yes, he is. And I must say, this one is….” the steward trails off in thought.

“Is what?”

“Well, he is different. I don’t know any other way to put it, other than he is just different. He walked out into the garden and just sat down under a tree” the steward responds.  
Harry’s heart skips a beat. Maybe, just maybe.

Louis sits under his tree, looking out over the quiet garden. He has no idea what is supposed to happen next, but willing to sit and wait for Harry to make the next move. But what that move is, he can only guess at.

Louis has been sitting under the tree for some minutes, keeping an eye out for the cat but hoping more that he will see Harry. Then there is a brush against his leg. He looks down and there is the cat, laying on the ground rubbing his head against Louis’ leg. Louis blinks in surprise. This is the cat that has eluded every other person who has entered the garden, but for him, it strolls right up and asks for scratches. Louis reaches over and rubs the cats head and scratches under the chin. The cat closes its eyes and purrs, the bag with the bronze key still dangling from the collar. Louis wonders if he can just pick the cat up and carry it to the castle. He moves to gather the cat in his arms and the cat happily snuggles into Louis’ embrace. Louis heads for the castle in search of the steward.

Louis enters and finds a housemaid and requests the whereabouts of the steward. The housemaid sees that he is holding the cat and her eyes widen. She scurries off without responding to Louis, shouting for the steward and the earl. Louis stays where he is, not knowing what else to do. Presently, the steward hurries in with the earl close behind. The steward stares incredulously and turns to question the earl. The earl looks at the cat resting contentedly in Louis’ arms, purring and then at Louis.

“Well, it seems the cat is happy with the fact that it is captured. May I ask your name?” the earl inquires.  
“Louis is my name, my lord, and the cat just walked up to me. I would say that the cat caught me rather than me catching the cat.”  
The earl nods and takes Louis’ measure. The cat looks exceptionally pleased to be in his arms, being stoked gently by Louis.  
“Please follow me” the earl instructs. 

Louis follows the earl into the study, still holding the cat and gently scratching the cat’s ears. The earl motions for Louis to take a seat as the steward files in as well. The earl looks at the steward.  
“Please prepare a proclamation stating that the cat has been captured and that the viscount’s challenge is over. The viscount and his intended mate will appear later today”  
The steward nods and exits. The earl turns his attention to the young man sitting before him, with the cat still in his lap.  
“I have to officially ask this, so can you please get the key from the collar and give it to me?” the earl asks Louis.  
Louis fiddles with the collar, the cat even helpfully extending his neck in order for Louis to undo the collar. He undoes the catch and gets the bag with the bronze key inside. As he reaches over to hand the key to the earl, the cat tumbles off his lap. The earl takes the key from Louis and Louis looks for the cat who has ambled over to the chair that the earl is sitting in. As Louis watches, the cat stretches and suddenly the most amazing thing happens. As the cat stretches its legs out, the front legs start to transform into arms and suddenly, Harry, the viscount, is standing next to his father, wearing slightly tatty clothes that Louis has seen Harry in before while chatting in the garden about the searchers.

Louis realizes that Harry is a shape-changer and all those times that he was chatting with Louis under the tree in the somewhat messy clothes, he has been in the garden leading the searchers on a merry chase, only to change and sit with Louis and watch the searchers looking for, well, him. What a brilliant challenge!

Harry keeps looking at Louis, searching for any signs of fear or disgust and is very happy when all he sees is astonishment.  
“You knew the whole time that none of those in the garden were going to catch the cat, you knew!” Louis blurts out.

“Yes, I was fairly certain that none of those responding to the challenge would be anyone that I wanted for a mate, I was just hoping that someone else would come by, someone like you, and I would have a chance to meet them and get to know them. And it happened. So, I made certain that they wouldn’t find the cat. I will not be sorry for it.” Harry responded, unrepentantly.

“So, you can just change at will? No special requirements, no full moon, magic words or positions required?” Louis wants to know how this works.

“Nothing special, all I have to do is think it and it happens. Has been like this for years. Excellent way of keeping up on things going on around the castle.”

The earl has been looking on to this interaction with interest, judging Louis on his reaction to his son’s unique abilities, but everything seems to be above board, and he trusts his sons’ judgement and if Harry says that Louis is his mate, then this is the one.

Harry then turns serious. He looks at Louis and asks the question that has been nagging at him since their conversation.  
“You are fine with all this, me being a shape charger and one day earl, right? You really want me?” Harry questions with a twinge of apprehension in his voice.

Louis gets up from the chair and gently takes Harry’s hand.  
“There is no place I would rather be than with you , fur or no fur.” Louis smiles at Harry and reaches up to scratch behind his ear, as if he was still the cat.  
Harry beams back and closes his eyes and leans into the caress. 

“I hope I didn’t make it too easy for you” he murmurs.

Louis chuckles. “I don’t expect it to be any different than the chase.”

Later that day, the earl presents Louis as the winner and chosen mate for his heir. Harry and Louis stand together and face the raucously cheering townspeople and more than a few sulking challenge participants. They share a look at some of the scowling faces, knowing that they had no idea that they never had a chance.

**Author's Note:**

> This whole story was inspired by a post that I saw about a story idea that the most wanted woman in town announced that they would only marry the person who can open the front door to her house with a key around her cat's neck . The winner was the person who figured out that the cat couldn't be chased, but waited until the cat came to them. Then the plot twist that the woman was a shapeshifter and was the cat all along. That struck me as fairy tale worthy and I knew that I could make something of this. I waited for this challenge to make it the "challenge within a challenge" and ran with it. I hope that this has been as fun for you to read as it was for me to write!


End file.
